pogali

— — ^Ifti

120 ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
Alice very politely; but she added, to herself,
“Why, they’re only a pack of cards, after all. I
needn’t be afraid of them!”

“And who are these?” said the Queen, pointing
to the three gardeners who were lying round the
rose-tree; for, you see, as they were lying on their
faces, and the pattern on their backs was the same
as the rest of the pack, she could not tell whether
they were gardeners, or soldiers, or courtiers, or
three of her own children.

“How should / know?” said Alice, surprised at
her own courage. “It’s no business of mine ”

The Queen turned crimson with fury, and, after
glaring at her for a moment like a wild beast, began

screaming “Off with her head! Off with ”

“Nonsense!” said Alice, very loudly and de-
cidedly, and the Queen was silent.

The King laid his hand upon her arm, and
timidly said: “Consider, my dear: she is only a
child!”

The Queen turned angrily away from him, and
said to the Knave: “Turn them over!”

The Knave did so, very carefully, with one foot.
“Get up!” said the Queen in a shrill, loud voice,
and the three gardeners instantly jumped up, and

THE QUEEN’S CROQUET-GROUND 121

began bowing to the King, the Queen, the royal
children, and everybody else.

“Leave off that!” screamed the Queen. “You
make me giddy.” And then, turning to the rose-
tree, she went on: “What have you been doing
here?”

“May it please your Majesty,” said Two, in a
very humble tone, going down on one knee as he

spoke, “we were trying ”

“ / see!” said the Queen, who had meanwhile
been examining the roses. “Off with their heads!”
and the procession moved on, three of the soldiers
remaining behind to execute the unfortunate gar-
deners, who ran to Alice for protection.

“You sha’n’t be beheaded!” said Alice, and she
put them into a large flower-pot that stood near.
The three soldiers wandered about for a minute